What to do when you can’t do anything

I have been doing a lot of dancing lately. I went out on Tuesday and Thursday and Saturday last week. Salsa, bachata, country swing, line dancing, whatever I could find. The week before I went out Sunday and Wednesday. I might do it again this week. I say that my way of taking care of myself in these dark moments has been to be an ostrich, to bury my head in the sand, but that is not true. I read everything. I see everything. I am looking less than I normally do but I am not a normal consumer of news. I am a former journalist, a storyteller, a teacher. I see it all.

And so I dance because I need the release. Because I need to be close to another human being for a few minutes, to be in reciprocity and relationship without commitment, without words, to show that I can love and be loved not for who I am or what I offer or even what I stand for, but simply for existing, simply for finding solace and release in rhythm and community. I need the thrum of the clave, or lilt of a fiddle, the collective movement that says we are all human and we need each other and love each other.

I am reminded of Dan Savage’s quote about the height of the AIDS epidemic:

“During the darkest days of the AIDS crisis we buried our friends in the morning, we protested in the afternoon, and we danced all night, and it was the dance that kept us in the fight because it was the dance we were fighting for.” – Dan Savage

I didn’t know we would be burying our friends this month, but we are. And I don’t know what comes next or how we move on from this terrible state, but we have to keep going. Even if you feel like you can’t do anything, you can.

Here are some things you can do if you feel like you can’t do anything.

1. Check on your neighbors and your friends
2. Talk about it. This hurts. You can call me if you want
3. Bring your neighbors groceries
4. Don’t buy from companies that don’t match your values
5. Talk to the little people in your life about what is happening in an age-appropriate way. They can tell that you’re scared; tell them why
6. Make art
7. Carry a whistle and use it if you see something suspicious
8. Follow and repost content creators and journalists who are showcasing what is really happening
9. Dream into what you want the world to look like
10. Keep pressure on your senators and congresspeople to hold them accountable
11. Send money to a mutual aid fund for refugees or immigrant families
12. Pray. Yes, pray, I said that
13. Walk children to and from school or buses
14. Join a protest
15. Dance. And yes, dance. Dance, dance, dance until the light comes.